It is well known in the manufacture of motor vehicle panels, for example an engine compartment hood, to attach an inner panel and an outer panel via a hemmed joint in which a flange provided on the outer panel is bent over an edge portion of the inner panel. It is also well known to seal such a hem joint by applying a bead of sealer along the edge of the bent over flange so that moisture cannot intrude into the hem joint and corrode the metals.
It would be desirable to obtain improvements in the methods and apparatus for forming and sealing hem joints in order to improve manufacturing efficiencies in the automobile industry as well as improve product quality.